September 22, 2011

Review: Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

With graceful and honest writing and an electric love story, this is a book about growing into your own skin. For fans of Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen, and John Green.

When I first came across Kiss Crush Collide I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Based on the synopsis, I just knew I had to read it. I was super excited to finally have a copy and started it immediately. I guess my expectations were a little too high being that the book was compared to Perfect Chemistry, which I adored.

Leah has huge shoes to fill. Her family is rich and they only want the best for her and her sisters. But her mother is a little too controlling and pretty much runs their lives. She has very high expectations when it comes to her daughters. To her mother, it's all about what’s on the outside. You look at them and you would think "Perfect Happy Family." Her sisters were Valedictorians, dated the captain of the football team, prom queen, you name it, they did it. So all this was expected of Leah as well, but when someone is telling you what to do with your life, who to date, how to dress, you begin to get bored. Leah didn't even have to study because she wasn't going to fail. That is how popular her family is and that also tells you just HOW rich they are. So what does Leah do? She begins to take things into her own hands. She tries things she's never done before, like cheating on her boyfriend with someone her family wouldn't approve of. It just happened. But what she didn't expect was to actually fall in love.

What I had a problem with was I felt that Meredith focused a little too much on Leah's life and gave too little about the romance. According to the synopsis, I am expecting this huge forbidden romance and lots of drama, but I did not get that. You get a couple of chapters of Leah and Porter together, but nothing that would WOW you. I liked them together, but I just didn't feel the connection in the beginning. It wasn't until almost the near end that you finally get a feel for them. The way it all played out though, was put together really well, but I would have liked a lot more. There was just way too much of Leah's life and memories than there was romance.

Now the book isn't bad, but it just wasn't what I was expecting at all. Christina is a great writer though and excellent at describing things. It wasn't hard at all to picture what Leah was feeling, or picture a scene in my head. Again, I just wish there was A LOT more of Porter and Leah.

Would I recommend Kiss Crush Collide? Yes. Other than what I listed above, it actually has a good meaning behind it.

Will I read any future books by Christina Meredith? Yes. I really do like her way of writing.

I've been waiting to hear some thoughts on this one. That's too bad that the romance wasn't more central to the story. It definitely sounds like that's the main thing so it would be a little disappointing. I guess if I read it now I know more what to expect. Awesome review!